Safety garment



Patented Mar. 18, 1952 .UNITED STATES PATENT I OFFICE SAFETY GARMENT Margaret R. Koster, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application August 21, 1950, Serial No. 180,633

9 Claims.

This invention relates to safety garments and particularly to those safety garments wherein an infant is held in place as on a mattress or pad for the purpose of giving the child a bath or merely to make the child safe against falling from, for example, a bed.

In order to be efficient and to perform its proper functions, such a arment must not only provide against the infants falling from the raised support upon which the child may be placed, but provision must be made for the easy bathing of the child and for changing of diapers or other clothing without too much trouble on the part of the attendant. In addition to all of this, the garment must be comfortable so that the child may, if desirable, sleep without waking up until the normal time.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved safety garment for small children.

Another object of the invention is the provi sion of such a safety garment which will be comfortable and which will be provided with an adjustable means which will make it possible to adjust exactly to the girth of the infant being held.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of such a safety garment which will permit the infant to turn slightly on the support without changing the adjustment of the holding portion of the garment.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of such a safety garment which is provided with a main body portion having an extension for passing between the legs of the infant, with securing means at its outer edge for attachment to the body portion and with provision for a limited movement of the infant when being held, without any loosening action.

Another and still further object of the invention is the provision of such an improved garment with an adjustable means for the holding of the infant which will enable the attendant to adjust the holding means exactly to the proper size for the girth of the infant to be held, after which a portion of the holding means may be released for bathing purposes and then the holding means may be returned to their former holding position without changing the adjustment of the garment or making necessary another adjustment to the girth of the infant.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the complete specification and claims.

Referring to the drawing wherein is illustrated an embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 illustrates a plan view of the garment laid out flat.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the extension and straps folded and in the positions occupied when holding an infant in place.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the location of the body of the infant at the girth.

Similar reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the specification and drawing.

In the drawing, the main body portion of the garment has .been designated with the reference character 2!]. This main body portion 20 should be of a width which is greater than the width of the body of the infant of a size for which it has been designed. The height must be suflicient to provide for the attachment of the other parts of the garment and should preferably be sufiicient to provide a rest for the head of the infant, but the edge should not come at a place where the head will come in contact with the binding of the body portion to cause discomfort.

At the lower middle portion of the edge of the body portion is an extension 2| which is designed to fold between the legs of the infant being held. At the lower edge of the extension 2| and extending sidewise are a pair of straps 22, which in the embodiment illustrated, extend outwardly in opposite directions to have their ends substantially the same distance apart as the outer edges of the body portion 20.

Adjacent the outer ends of the straps 22 are a pair of snaps 23a which are complementary to coacting snap buttons 23b on the body portion and which are in position for cooperation and coaction therewith.

Secured adjacent the extension 2| near the bottom, are two tying strings 24, which are suitably stitched to the center of the extension 2| in position to extend outwardly away from each other. Adjacent the places where the straps 22 become the extension 2|, are narrow keepers 25, under which the tying strings 24 run and which serve as a holding means for the tying strings when the latter are acting to hold the extension 2| and the straps 22 in place to hold the infant on the body member 20.

Secured to the body member at a point below the middle, in the embodiment illustrated, there are two shoulder straps 25 which are preferably stitched in place so that they will fit naturally over the shoulders of the infant. At the free ends of these shoulder straps 26 are snaps 21a which coact with complementary snap buttons 21?) on the straps 22. These snap buttons 21b are shown on the underside of the straps 22 in Fig. 1. When the extension 2| is folded as when in use, the snap buttons 21b are on the upper or outer sides of the straps 22 so that the shoulder straps 26 can be secured in place after the straps 22 have been secured as will be described.

At the corners, of the body portion 20, I provide tying strings in the form of the tapes 28 which are used to secure the body member in place on a table, in a chair, on a mattress, or other support.

The method of use and operation of the invention will now be described. With the body member 20 secured in place, the infant is placed on the body member so that the feet are in place to have the extension folded between the legs. After the extension is folded between the legs, the snaps 23a are snapped on the snap buttons 231). This leaves the bottom of the extension and the straps 22 with the portion of the body member beneath the infant, loosely surrounding the stomach of the infant.

' The tying strings 24, arenow taken, one in each hand, and brought together until the straps 22 and the corresponding portion of the body member, surrounds the body of the infant snugly about the waist. This causes a natural fold in each of the straps 22. v

The action which results from drawing the tying strings 24 together, is as follows: When the typing strings 24 are doubled back on themselves, to bring the free ends together, the keepers 25 act as pulleys to cause the pull of the tying strings 24 to be transmitted to the straps 22, inward of their ends as shown in Fig. 2. By use of the tying strings 24, it is possible to get exactly the correct adjustment about the girth of the infantwithout causing too much pressure on the stomach and without having the strings so loose that the infant will have too much freedom for safety.

v Now, referring particularly to Fig. 3 where the position of thelbody of the infant is indicated by dotted lines, it will be apparent that the tying strings 24 have been brought together and tied. When tied, the tying strings and the straps 22 should be snug but not tight. When the infant moves with a rolling action, the lower end of the extension 2|, now folded, may cling to the skin or clothing of the infant and there will be a slight rolling action at the folds between the straps 22 and the extension 2|. This provides for a flexibility of the whole'structure, not possible with other constructions. By using tying strings to make the adjustment, theexact and proper adjustment can be made.

If it is necessary to wash the legs of the infant or to change the diapers or other clothing, it is only necessary to remove the strap 22 on one side only by separating the snaps 23a from the snap buttons 23b. By loosening one strap 22 only, there is still left, the other strap 22 which with the extension 2|, surrounds one leg of the infant. In addition, the shoulder straps 26 are still in place and act to further hold the infant in place during the washing or changing operation. When the washing operation on one side has been completed, the snaps 23a may be replaced on the snap buttons 23b and the snaps 23a removed from the snap buttons 23b on the other side, In this way, the infant may always be insured against accidental escape from the hold- 4 ing means. Further, when the parts are replaced, the same adjustment about the body is made automatically and without retying.

To remove the infant, it is necessary only to unsnap the snaps 23a and 21a from their respective snap buttons 23b and 2112. This permits the extension 2| and the straps 22 to be straightened and withdrawn from between the legs of the infant, when the infant may be removed from the garment entirely.

The main body member 28, the extension 2| and the straps 22 are respectively supplied by bindings 20a, 2 la, and 22a.

While I have illustrated and described in detail an embodiment of my invention, I desire to have it understood that the disclosure is merely illustrative and that modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and within its scope as claimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member, a folding extension at the bottom edge of the middle of the body memher and integral therewith, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extensions, fastening means on the body member, coacting fastening means adjacent the outer end of each strap for coaction with the fastening members on the body member, and adjusting means for holding the ends of the straps at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the waist of the infant being held.

2. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member, a folding extension at the middle of the bottom edge of the body member, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means adjacent the outer ends of the straps, coasting fastening means on the body member for coaction with the fastening means at the outer ends of the straps, and adjusting means for drawing the strap ends toward each other and for securing them at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the infant being held, said adjusting means including flexible tying members.

3. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member, a folding extension at the bottom edge of the body member, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means adjacent the outer ends of the straps, coacting fastening means on the body member for coaction with the fastening means at the outer ends of the straps, and adjusting means for drawing the strap ends toward each other and for securing them at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the infant being held, said adjusting means including flexible. tying members having their ends secured adjacent one another to the folding member, the straps having loops for the passing thereunder of the tying members to draw the ends of the straps closer together, the tying members being of sufficient length to tie a knot when the straps are in proper adjusted position.

4. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member, a folding extension at the middle of the bottom edge of the body member, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means adjacent the outer ends of the straps, coacting fastening means on the body member for coaction with the fastening means on the straps, a pair of shoulder straps, each secured at one end to the body member in position to be crossed and connected at the opposite side to a strap, and adjusting means for drawing the strap ends toward each other and for securing them at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the infant being held, said adjusting means including tying members, each having an end secured to the folding member opposite the straps, the straps each having a loop for the passing thereunder of the tying members to draw the ends of the straps closer together, the tying members being of a suflicient length to form a knot when the straps are in proper adjusted position.

5. A safety garment for small children com prising a body member of a greater width than the width of the body of the infant of a size for which the garment is designed, a folding extension at the middle of the bottom edge of the body member and integral therewith, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means adjacent the outer ends of the straps, coacting fastening means on the body member, and adjusting means for holding the ends of the straps at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the waist of the infant being held.

6. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member of a greater width than the width of the body of the infant of a size for which the garment is designed, a folding extension at the middle of the bottom edge of the body member and integral therewith, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means adjacent the outer ends of the straps, coacting fastening means on the body member for coaction with the fastening means at the outer ends of the straps and adjusting means for drawing the strap ends toward each other and for securing them at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the infant being held.

7. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member of a greater width than the width of the body of the infant of a size for which the garment is designed, a folding extension at the middle of the bottom edge of the body member and integral therewith, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means adjacent the outer ends of the straps, coacting fastening means on the body member for coaction with the fastening means at the outer ends of the straps, and adjusting means for drawing the strap ends toward each other and for securing them at any desired distance from each other to conform exactly to the girth of the infant being held, said adjusting means including flexible tying members.

8. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member, a folding extension at the bottom edge of the middle of the body member, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means on the body member, coacting fastening means adjacent the outer end of each strap for coaction with the fastening means on the body member, and adjusting means for shortening the effective distance between the strap ends including a tying means for placing a loose loop in one of the straps.

9. A safety garment for small children comprising a body member, a folding extension at the bottom edge of the middle of the body member, two outwardly extending straps at the outer edge of the folding extension, fastening means on the body member, coacting fastening means adjacent the outer end of each strap for coaction with the fastening means on the body member, and adjusting means for shortening the effective distance between the strap ends including tying means for placing a loop adjacent the inner end of each of the straps.

MARGARET R. KOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,048,033 Brown Dec. 24, 1912 1,348,818 MacCallum Aug. 3, 1920 1,923,001 Haga Aug. 15, 1933 2,486,114 Cataldo Oct. 25, 1949 

